This podcast prototype, “Hermit Thrush and Light Rain,” is an exploration of the “Audio Postcard” format, which includes about 1.5 minutes of talking (perhaps too much said?) followed by the same length of the pure-nature soundscape. This format is perhaps suitable for both a radio and podcast listening audience.

My main concern is that there’s too much talking for such a brief presentation. Perhaps I should restrict talking to no more than 45 seconds or at least no more than a minute? But would that be enough time to set the scene and share other essential information? And maybe I should include more of the soundscape itself, extending the length of the production to 3.5 or 4 minutes?

Another concern: How many of the background birds should I be identifying? I mention only the Blackburnian and Magnolia Warblers, both of which are fairly prominent. But what about the distant American Robin, or the songs of the distant Wood Thrush? It seems that only a small percentage of listeners want everything identified, so I’ve opted to include only a teaser by bringing attention to the two warblers.

Let me know what you think about all this!

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The prairie pothole marshes have some of the most extraordinary soundscapes that I've encountered anywhere during my travels. I made this wonderful recording near Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota, way back in 1993, the year I began collecting binaural soundscapes. It is still among my most treasured recordings ...

The prairie pothole marshes have some of the most extraordinary soundscapes that I’ve encountered anywhere during my travels. I made this wonderful recording near Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota, way back in 1993, the year I began collecting binaural soundscapes. It is still among my most treasured recordings … so many interesting sounds, all in one place at one time. I’m truly amazed every time I listen to it.

This is yet another “podcast prototype”. Yes, I’m acutely aware that most of my blog audience would rather just listen to the nature sounds, so I’ve included a much longer sample below, purely for listening pleasure. But my purpose here is to test a possible “short-form” format for the podcast world, where I keep the entire podcast under 3-minutes in length. My narration is fairly condensed; I introduce the context and content and then release the listener into the soundscape itself.

I could always play the soundscape for longer at the end, but I wanted to test how it feels if I just play it for a couple of minutes. Will this work with a radio audience? Or will people want more of the soundscape itself? Or possibly less? These are questions I’m pondering these days. Any thoughts?

I am thrilled to finish my latest podcast prototype, August Prairiesong, a true-to-life recounting of my early August visit to Taberville Prairie Conservation Area and Prairie State Park, both being tallgrass prairie preserves located in southwestern Missouri. Please join me on my adventure ...

I am thrilled to finish my latest podcast prototype. I think I’m definitely homing-in on a good style of delivery, especially when sharing actual adventures in the field.

August Prairiesong is a true-to-life recounting of my early August visit to Taberville Prairie Conservation Area and Prairie State Park, both being tallgrass prairie preserves located in southwestern Missouri. I wasn’t sure what I’d find happening in these prairie tracts so late in the summer, but I was pleasantly surprised … a variety of birds were still sounding off, the insect choruses were splendid, and I snagged some coyote as well. As you might remember, I shared some of these recordings in a previous blog post, entitled Journey Highlights #2 – Tallgrass Prairie.

NEWS FLASH: I am planning a BIG TRIP next season, possibly beginning in early March. I’ll head to the Southwest, in a roundabout way, then on to the high desert and the Northwest. My plan is to share my journey by blogging, face-booking, and, most importantly by podcasting … the latter allowing me to tell the story of my adventures using my own voice. What could be more personal than that?

I’m hoping to find sponsors for my journey because I’ll be on the road for 5-6 months altogether, at considerable expense. I may set up a Patreon page, and possibly initiate a Kickstarter campaign (even though the latter is a bit of pain to pull off). No matter, though, because I intend to complete the journey even if I have to pay for it all myself.

Let me know what you think of my August Prairiesong podcast. It sure was fun to create, to remember my actual experience and bring it to you in podcast form.

Friends … if you find that my blog has a positive impact on your life, please help support my effort by making a modest donation.

I am always thrilled when the Bobolinks arrive in early May, having flown nearly 6000 miles from as far south as Argentina. Back in 2009, I got a splendid soundscape shortly after their return, when the males were setting up their territories, chasing one another about, and actively searching for females. This soundscape is the subject of my newest podcast prototype ...

I am always thrilled when the Bobolinks arrive in early May, having flown nearly 6000 miles from as far south as Argentina. Back in 2009, I got a splendid soundscape shortly after their return, when the males were setting up their territories, chasing one another about, and actively searching for females. This soundscape is the subject of my newest podcast prototype … Bobolink Meadow … which is a celebration of the soundscape itself.

I’m still trying to hone my skills with podcasting, looking for the “magic formula” that will allow me to generate lots of them, have them well-received in the podcasting world, and not be too difficult to construct. The method I employed for this podcast was fairly easy for me to implement. Only one soundscape recording is featured, and my job as a narrator was to describe the season, the habitat, and the primary sound-makers … so as to give the listener enough information to generate a clear sense of the place and cirumstance.

Here is the ambient recording without narration, so that you can enjoy looping it for a pure nature listening experience:

Hallelujah! Another podcast prototype completed! This one features the Hermit Thrush, and is an example of how I might handle species portraits of birds ... covering both songs and calls. I'm pretty happy with the result.

Hallelujah! Another podcast prototype completed! This one features the Hermit Thrush, and is an example of how I might handle species portraits of birds … covering both songs and calls. I’m pretty happy with the result.

The Hermit Thrush is considered one of North America’s finest singers. To my ear, only the Swainson’s Thrush comes close to the Hermit if rated on musical quality and emotional impact. Poets and naturalists through the ages have praised the Hermit’s voice. John Burroughs thought it an expression of “serene religious beautitude” that embodies “a peace and solemn joy that only the finest souls may know.” Walt Whitman gave human voice to the song: “O liquid free and tender … O wild and loose my soul … O wondrous singer.” I concur. Only a “hermit” would inhabit such remote places, spinning exalted songs and choosing “thus to fling its soul upon the growing gloom,” as poet Thomas Harding once mused.

Let me know if you enjoy my podcast and what changes you think might improve it.

Recording Credits: All songs and calls were recorded by yours truly and my partner-recordist Ted Mack, with the exception of the nocturnal flight calls given by a migrating group, which were graciously provided by nocturnal flight call expert Bill Evans of oldbird.org.

Friends … if you find that my blog has a positive impact on your life, please help support my effort by making a modest donation.

Hi all! Here is a brand new podcast prototype … Spring Peepers and Autumn Pipers … a 13-minute celebration of the calling behavior of the Spring Peeper, Pseudacris crucifer, but with a fun little twist. This is the second in a series of podcast experiments that will help me home-in on a suitable style of presentation.

Hope you like it! My voice is a little rough (a result of my throat cancer treatment), but it seems workable. Rough but lower in pitch, and perhaps a little warmer than my previous sound. This might actually be a good thing.

As always, I’d love to hear your reaction, especially with regard to the overall feel of the podcast. It is topic oriented, so there’s lots of information being presented. Nonetheless, I’m hoping it will be perceived as friendly, accessible, artful, and just plain fun.

So what’ya think? Please join in the conversation below!

Below is a photo of the habitat around Ladyslipper Pond near Ithaca, New York. This is the site where I recorded most of my examples of autumn calling:

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Sometimes, a compelling soundscape will present itself when least expected. Yesterday afternoon, during a light rain, I took a brief walk around our pond. To my delight, a flock of American Robins had settled into the patch of woods next to the pond and individuals were calling excitedly as they flew from perch to perch. Too bad I had left my soundscape microphone in my studio downtown ...

Sometimes, a compelling soundscape will present itself when least expected. Yesterday afternoon, during a light rain, I took a brief walk around our pond. To my delight, a flock of American Robins had settled into the patch of woods next to the pond and individuals were calling excitedly as they flew from perch to perch. “What a nice sound,” I remember thinking, but “too bad I left my soundscape microphone in my studio downtown.”

The more I listened, the more I wanted to document the soundscape, but I knew it was time limited … certainly the robins would be gone if I drove all the way downtown for my gear. Then I remembered my little Zoom recorder, which I’d brought home for another project. So I sprinted back home, retrieved it, and then ran back to the pond. Fortunately, the robins were still there and I got a nice-sounding 3-minute recording before a loud jet rumbled overhead. Disappointingly, though, the flock dispersed before I had a chance to continue recording.

I’m happy with this catch. Though brief and made with an inexpensive recorder, it faithfully conveys what I experienced … the gentle pitter-patter of the rain on the leaves enlivened by the varied calls of the robins. I can’t help but wonder what the birds were feeling as they gathered in excited anticipation of their autumnal migration (or maybe they were already on the move?).

Friends … if you find that my blog has a positive impact on your life, please help support my effort by making a modest donation.

As autumn turns to winter, I find myself spending less time outdoors and way more time in front of my computer. Nonetheless, I have managed to get some new field recordings, the most interesting being a soundscape I recorded in Shindagin Hollow a few weeks ago. It is a lovely recording, documenting the excited calls of a group of Blue Jays, given as they search for food along the edge of a dried-up stream ...

As autumn turns to winter, I find myself spending less time outdoors and way more time in front of my computer. Nonetheless, I have managed to get several new field recordings, the most interesting being a soundscape I recorded in Shindagin Hollow a few weeks ago. It is a lovely recording, documenting the excited calls of a group of Blue Jays, given as they search for food along the edge of a small, dried-up stream. A condensed, 10-minute version of the actual hour-long recording is featured above.

Although the jays dominate the soundscape (along with the soft trilling of Carolina Ground Crickets), the calls of a number of other species become evident later in the recording. Most significant are a number of loud outbursts from a Red-shouldered Hawk, heard first at around 3:30. A little later, a Black-capped Chickadee chimes-in with loud calls and an Eastern Chipmunk can be heard clucking softly in the background (the clucks are aerial predator alarm calls … he’s probably reacting to the Red-shouldered Hawk). At the end, a Gray Squirrel suddenly sounds off from an overhead tree, his harsh chucks being impossible to miss. Other more subtle sounds can be heard in the background throughout. Listen for the calls of robins, nuthatches, and perhaps kinglets.

I hope you enjoy this autumn delight. I was certainly quite happy to have gotten these wonderful sounds. My recording technique shouldn’t surprise you. I set my mic and recorder along the stream at first light and then went wandering with some friends. I returned an hour later, gathered up my gear and then headed in town to my studio, expecting a rather low-key result. Imagine my delight at discovering all the Blue Jay activity, and especially the Red-shouldered Hawk … I had no idea there was one in the hollow. And when I found the Gray Squirrel outburst near the end, I smiled from cheek-to-cheek. How fortunate indeed, and how nice to share this engaging soundscape with all of you!

Friends … if you find that my blog has a positive impact on your life, please help support my effort by making a modest donation.

Wood Ducks have been gathering in woodland ponds as of late, with males and females courting like crazy, prior to their migration southward. You're sure to enjoy this video, which features outstanding photographs by bird photographer Marie Read, accompanied by sound recordings by yours truly ...

A friend recently informed me that Wood Ducks were gathering and courting in his woodland pond. So I spent the night at his place and then recorded for about an hour at dawn. The resulting soundscape included lots of calling from both sexes. I was very pleased, so I contacted bird photographer Marie Read and asked if she’d be interested in providing images for an audiovisual creation … mixing her photographs and voice with my sounds. Gratefully, she accepted, and excitedly set up a blind on the pond in order to get additional photos for her collection.

I hope you enjoy the result. Marie’s beautiful photos are wonderful to behold, and her enthusiasm about Wood Ducks is apparent in her voice. What fun it was to do the mix in Final Cut Pro, where I made good use of the “Ken Burns Effect” to zoom in-and-out on the still images, helping to bring the slide-show alive with movement.

You may be surprised to learn that Wood Ducks court in October, but the fact is that nearly all our native ducks begin the process in the autumn and continue courting and forming pair-bonds through the winter months.

The sounds of the male and female Wood Ducks are easy to tell apart. The females make loud squealing calls sounding like oo-week, oo-week. The males make soft wheezing whistles that rise in pitch: jeeeb or ji-ihb. One also hears rapid chattering at times; I’m not sure which sex is producing that, but it seems to occur during excited interactions.

As always, I’d love to hear from you … please comment below and let me know what you think of all Wood Duck images and sounds!

Friends … if you find that my blog has a positive impact on your life, please help support my effort by making a modest donation.

In mid-October of 2013, I went on an expedition with friends to witness the bugling of Elk (Cervus canadensis) in a free-ranging herd near Benezette, Pennsylvania. Although we arrived at the tail end of the rutting season, we were not disappointed ...

In mid-October of 2013, I went on an expedition with friends to witness the bugling of Elk (Cervus canadensis) in a free-ranging herd near Benezette, Pennsylvania. Although we arrived at the tail end of the rutting season, we were not disappointed.

Elk (also called Wapiti) once roamed freely across Pennsylvania, but early settlers gradually drove them out and by 1867 they were extirpated from the state. In 1913, the Pennsylvania Game Commission began a reintroduction program and now there are healthy populations at a number of locations, with a total of around one thousand individuals statewide.

The herd near Benezette is a tourist magnet. Thousands of people converge on the area in late September and early October to marvel at the mating behavior and learn about what they’re seeing and hearing at the Elk Country Visitor Center. We arrived late in the afternoon. I was disappointed at first. While there were plenty of elk to observe, there was little mating behavior and none of the males were bugling.

We found a place to camp in a patch of forest not far from the herd. There was no bugling in the evening, so we retired early, hoping for some action in the morning. Around 4am, I was awakened by distant bugles. I grabbed my soundscape mic and carefully made my way toward the herd. Soon, I emerged from the woods at the edge of a large meadow. I shined my flashlight into the field and counted about a dozen elk (actually … a dozen “pairs of eyes” reflecting light), the nearest being around a hundred feet away. I quickly set up my soundscape mic and then hunkered down next to a large tree.

Aside from occasional bugles and calls, the herd was relatively quiet for about an hour. But the situation changed rapidly during the half hour before first light. Distant males came closer and by 6am there were at least five or six males bugling in my vicinity, with other individuals (probably females) giving expressive nasal calls. The recording featured above, which I’ve edited down to around five minutes by reducing the length of quiet sections, depicts the variety bugles that occurred over a ten minute period.

If you want to just hear the exciting sections, here is a super-condensed version lasting a little over a minute:

Elk bugles are one the most haunting and captivating mammal sounds on the planet, unlike any other that I have experienced. I especially like the way they echo across the landscape, bouncing off surrounding hills and forest. How fortunate to have been able to gather such a pristine recording of this outstanding vocal event!

Please let me know what you think of my recording. Have you ever witnessed such bugling firsthand?

Friends … if you find that my blog has a positive impact on your life, please help support my effort by making a modest donation.